Although photographed in December, I stumbled over this photo today and couldn’t help but feel the need to post it.
I think most bird lovers are attracted to Varied Thrush, and this male couldn’t have been more attractive while perched on these bright red apples. And was he ever hangry! After taking a bite out of all three, he still wasn’t about to share with any others – and I felt quite privileged that he chose to pose for this shot!
As the Cornell Lab’s All About Birds site states, ‘Varied Thrushes are often aggressive toward each other and other bird species. At feeders, males sometimes defend small feeding territories, where they dominate sparrows, blackbirds, cowbirds, towhees and juncos. They usually defer to California Quails, Northern Flickers, Western Scrub-Jays, and American Robins. The only time Varied Thrushes flock with other species is when they occasionally forage for berries or earthworms on lawns with American Robins.’
So while rather self-centered, thrushes do have their strong points, and we are very lucky to have them here in Sequim. But sadly, they are on the ‘list of Common Birds in Steep Decline, for species that are still too numerous or widely distributed to warrant Watch-List status but have been experiencing troubling long-term declines’, so if you have the means to provide seed, fruit, and/or water, please do so, and they may be around to pose for you too!